Start as we mean to go on: Bath v Northampton

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:09:26:11:34:41 by hasta.

Good article Roko.
I've a nasty feeling we're actually favourites for the title this season - about the only club who feels stronger on paper than last, and certainly doing better than the likes of Saints and Sarries in terms of ins and outs.

Given that it's a Friday night game - shouldn't we be getting a team announcement a couple of hours ago?

A man who cannot change his mind, cannot change anything

RAEBURN SHIELD

Nope it'll be lunchtime on Thursday.

I've probably noticed that before, and am just out of practice - oops

A man who cannot change his mind, cannot change anything

RAEBURN SHIELD

Exciting preview!

Yes, VERY concerning to see the number of pundits daubing us 'favourites', with the narrative being that this is our best chance to win it in decades. But if you park the superstition, it's likely true! Only problem is that there are 8 teams that COULD win it this year and the old adage of 'anyone being able to beat anyone on their day' has never been stronger, including Newcastle. Trying to pick your 1-10 at season end is impossible. Who on earth is going to be 7th? Exeter? Saracens? Us???

Anyhow, it's going to be exciting and like last year, in JvG we trust, who continues to simply talk about the fact that we need to be competitive in every game. An injury to Spencer could truly shaft us, but that aside, with a stronger squad than previously (Maloney is going to be huge!) and another year on under Blackett and Finn in attack, I'm confident and excited.

Saints will be dangerous on a firm pitch but Bath by 8.

2024/25 adoptee: Guy Pepper

I'm really worried obano is going to be on a revenge mission come Friday. Davison is going to have his hands full me thinks. I'm glad we have you guys first. We never win our first game of the season and record at the rec is poor. Glad to get it out the way. Should be a cracker. How has your driving maul been going? Saints have struggled with this pre season .

Be interested to see who starts in the second row when the team comes out tomorrow. Assume Ewels is pretty nailed on and think it will be Molony with him as first choice eventually but can see Roux keeping his spot to kick things off.

I’m on record as preferring Bayliss to Reid but he’s had a shorter summer than others with Scotland duty going on later so ok to hold him back. Would be a real endorsement of Pepper if he starts game one

Best guess:

Obano
Dunn
TdT
Roux
Ewels
Hill
Reid
Barbeary
Spencer
Russell
Muir
Butt
Lawrence
Cokanasiga
de Glanville

Annett
van Wyk
Stuart
Molony
Pepper
Coetzee
Schreuder
Bailey



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:09:18:15:43:55 by theredseat.

TDT isn't available, he's starting for South Africa this weekend

A man who cannot change his mind, cannot change anything

RAEBURN SHIELD



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:09:18:15:56:43 by Which Tyler.

An interesting snippet about odds from the bookies - they are criminally under-selling Sale there and as you say, including Sarries on nostalgia only(?)

I've been keeping an eye on journalist predictions (over on the Bristol board) and they ALL agree on top 3 - Bath, Saints, Sale (with yes, you being the favourites...); they ALL agree on bottom 2 - Gloucester and Newcastle. And of course positions 4-8 are just a lottery.

I'm going to take a stab at the Saints selection:

15 Furbank
14 Sleightholme
13 Dingwall
12 Hutchinson
11 Freeman
10 Smith
9 Mitchell

1 West
2 Langdon
3 Davison
4 Hunter-Hill
5 Coles
6 Kemeny
7 Pearson
8 Graham

The Saints backline will be class, but Bath could have the edge in the forwards, and looks like there will be some rain on Friday afternoon so a greasy ball may play into a tighter gameplan.

Lots of fascinating selections ahead of this one. Starting with Loose Head. Obano is obviously number 1 in the position but he's not played a minute of pre-season. Is it wise to throw him straight in or has Cordwell or Van Wyk done enough to be trusted with the start? Both had strong pre-seasons, Van Wyk slightly stronger in my view. I picked him as one to watch and I have been impressed with his scrummaging, tacking and jackaling so for me he should start with Beno on the bench.

Our locks have been used in pairs and I suspect that will continue. Maloney and Ewels are the line out callers and won't be paired together.

Openside is most hotly contested position within the squad. Reid holds the shirt in Underhill's absence but you can't ignore the talent of Guy Pepper, why sign him if you don't intend to play him? Another interesting trend is Reid and Bayliss getting minutes at number 8 and both thriving in the role. Coetzee dominated with his cameo in the second half against Munster and there's an argument to make that he should be the starting 8 with Barbeary struggling to catch the ball.

JVG has already mentioned his dilemma in the centre. His choices; Butt/Lawrence, Bailey/Lawrence, Lawrence/Hennessey. I'm going for Butt/Lawrence. Perhaps too much bosh but with Spencer, Russell at TdG I think we've got enough ball players to threaten. Will's performances deserve a shot.

Back three select themselves but Coka does get on my nerves. When on it he's one of the most destructive wingers in the league but he drops the ball A LOT. It's infuriating and I'm half wishing for one of the young guns to take the shirt off him! For now, he has my backing.

Van Wyk, Dunn, Stuart, Roux, Ewels, Hill, Pepper, Coetzee; Spencer, Russell, Muir, Butt, Lawrence, Coka, TdG

Annett, Obano, Griffin, du Plessis, Bayliss, Carr-Smith, Bailey, Emens

Like the Beno idea, Gaughers. It’d be great to hear the roar as he comes off the bench at 55 minutes. Ooooooh Beno Obaaaanoooo.

2024/25 adoptee: Guy Pepper

Quote:

boozeboozebooze
I'm going to take a stab at the Saints selection:
15 Furbank
14 Sleightholme
13 Dingwall
12 Hutchinson
11 Freeman
10 Smith
9 Mitchell

1 West
2 Langdon
3 Davison
4 Hunter-Hill
5 Coles
6 Kemeny
7 Pearson
8 Graham

The Saints backline will be class, but Bath could have the edge in the forwards, and looks like there will be some rain on Friday afternoon so a greasy ball may play into a tighter gameplan.

Coles is Injured plus Dowson said today mitchell might not make it. Other than that I think the same. Maybe Freeman at 13 instead of Hutch with ramm on the wing . Iyogun may start ahead of west.

My 23 would be:

Tdg, big Joe, hennessey, lawrence , muir, finn, spencer, beno, dunn, griffin, roux, ewels, hill, pepper, coetzee. Bench: van wyk, annett, stuart, jdp, reid, TCS, bailey , harris

I think jvg will go:
Tdg, big Joe, lawrence, butt, muir, finn, spencer, van wyk, dunn, stuart, roux, ewels, hill, reid, barbeary bench: beno, annett, griffin, malony, bayliss, coetzee, schreuder, bailey



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:09:18:21:57:30 by Charlieboa1.

Saints will be strong again this season.

Mitchell missing a week would be a big bonus for us

Quote:

Charlieboa1
Saints will be strong again this season.
Mitchell missing a week would be a big bonus for us

Biggest question mark is their second row I think. Some good players there but they’ve recently lost Ribbans, Moon and Lawes (6 but contributes to a lot of second row type work) and that could catch up to them at some point.

Quote:

theredseat

Biggest question mark is their second row I think. Some good players there but they’ve recently lost Ribbans, Moon and Lawes (6 but contributes to a lot of second row type work) and that could catch up to them at some point.

Yeah I'd agree with that.

Whilst I was never a massive fan of Alex Moon, he was definitely a solid Premiership lock. Looks like his direct replacement will be Hunter-Hill, who only started 3 league games last season.

If Coles is indeed ruled out then judging by this injury report they're going to be seriously light on numbers, with Mayanavanua on international duty, and Lockett also injured. By my calculations Munga will be the only other senior lock available.

Team Up:

Bath Rugby team news

Bath Rugby: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Will Butt, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben Spencer ©; 1 Beno Obano, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Quinn Roux, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Ted Hill, 7 Miles Reid (100), 8 Alfie Barbeary

Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Francois van Wyk (debut), 18 Archie Griffin, 19 Jacques du Plessis, 20 Guy Pepper (debut), 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Orlando Bailey, 23 Jaco Coetzee


PG

Two strong teams - interesting I expected Ross Molony to be in the 23 - everyone raving at Farleigh about what he has brought in. 6/2 split let us hope the weather holds up and our fortunes with Luke Pearce change - he has not been a lucky talisman of late really.

Expecting disjointed affair from both sides given first real outing in anger for both teams.

Come on Bath.

Northampton:
1 Emmanuel Iyogun
2 Curtis Langdon
3 Trevor Davison
4 Angus Scott-Young
5 Chunya Munga
6 Josh Kemeny
7 Tom Pearson
8 Sam Graham

09 Tom James
10 Fin Smith
11 Ollie Sleightholme
12 Rory Hutchinson
13 Fraser Dingwall
14 James Ramm
15 George Furbank (c)

16 Robbie Smith, 17 Tom West, 18 Luke Green, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Juarno Augustus
21 Archie McParland, 22 Toby Thame, 23 Tommy Freeman

A man who cannot change his mind, cannot change anything

RAEBURN SHIELD



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:09:19:12:13:24 by Which Tyler.

Quote:

P G Tips
Team Up:
Bath Rugby team news

Bath Rugby: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Will Butt, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben Spencer ©; 1 Beno Obano, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Quinn Roux, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Ted Hill, 7 Miles Reid (100), 8 Alfie Barbeary

Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Francois van Wyk (debut), 18 Archie Griffin, 19 Jacques du Plessis, 20 Guy Pepper (debut), 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Orlando Bailey, 23 Jaco Coetzee

Just the one winger is brave
A man who cannot change his mind, cannot change anything

RAEBURN SHIELD

11 Will Muir

Bath selection pretty much as expected, some good physicality off the bench in JdP and Coetzee.

The Saints squad is a little more intriguing:

- Scott-Young at lock feels like a possible area to exploit, apparently it will be his first start in the second row and at 6ft4 will be giving up a few inches to Ewels and Roux.

- Mitchell being out will be a blow, he really dictates their tempo going forward

- Replacement tighthead is Luke Green who they signed from the MLR. No idea what his pedigree is like but fingers crossed Obano/FvW can use their years of Premiership experience to good effect.

9 out of 15. See me after school.

quote boozeboozebooze]I'm going to take a stab at the Saints selection:

15 Furbank
14 Sleightholme
13 Dingwall
12 Hutchinson
11 Freeman
10 Smith
9 Mitchell

1 West
2 Langdon
3 Davison
4 Hunter-Hill
5 Coles
6 Kemeny
7 Pearson
8 Graham

The Saints backline will be class, but Bath could have the edge in the forwards, and looks like there will be some rain on Friday afternoon so a greasy ball may play into a tighter gameplan.[/quote]

Quote:

theredseat

Quote:

Charlieboa1
Saints will be strong again this season.
Mitchell missing a week would be a big bonus for us

Biggest question mark is their second row I think. Some good players there but they’ve recently lost Ribbans, Moon and Lawes (6 but contributes to a lot of second row type work) and that could catch up to them at some point.

I rate Scott-Young but a first career start as a second row is probably not ideal in a game like this.

Any minutes Tommy Freeman doesn’t play is alright by me as well

Quote:

boozeboozebooze
Bath selection pretty much as expected, some good physicality off the bench in JdP and Coetzee.
The Saints squad is a little more intriguing:

- Scott-Young at lock feels like a possible area to exploit, apparently it will be his first start in the second row and at 6ft4 will be giving up a few inches to Ewels and Roux.

- Mitchell being out will be a blow, he really dictates their tempo going forward

- Replacement tighthead is Luke Green who they signed from the MLR. No idea what his pedigree is like but
fingers crossed Obano/FvW can use their years of Premiership experience to good effect.

Scott Young played some lock for queensland reds but a combo of him and munga who was prob 5th choice last year is worrying. Maybe they feel hunter hill still needs to integrate more. Mitchell is huge loss but james is decent. If both teams were full strength I'd have bath favourites just on home advantage. Looking at the teams bath should win this. I'm hoping for 2 bonus points

[quote Hygge]9 out of 15. See me after school.

quote boozeboozebooze]I'm going to take a stab at the Saints selection:

15 Furbank
14 Sleightholme
13 Dingwall
12 Hutchinson
11 Freeman
10 Smith
9 Mitchell

1 West
2 Langdon
3 Davison
4 Hunter-Hill
5 Coles
6 Kemeny
7 Pearson
8 Graham

The Saints backline will be class, but Bath could have the edge in the forwards, and looks like there will be some rain on Friday afternoon so a greasy ball may play into a tighter gameplan.[/quote][/quote]

In my defence I put this together before I read the latest injury report.

I'll try harder next time

The Saints backline will be class, but Bath could have the edge in the forwards, and looks like there will be some rain on Friday afternoon so a greasy ball may play into a tighter gameplan.[/quote][/quote]

In my defence I put this together before I read the latest injury report.

I'll try harder next time[/quote]

Your team selection might not be 100%, but I still think your analysis is spot on (Saints backs class, Bath edge the forwards).

Tom de Glanville - Adopted player 2024-5

Great to see TdG at 15. Gallagher was brilliant last season, but we look so much more threatening with more pace in the back 3. Big season and a huge opportunity first up for Butt- that's a powerful centre combo- and Butt should benefit from playing outside of Finn.

Yeh, interesting re Maloney, but can see that Roux is in possession of the shirt and JdP offers more punch off the bench. I'd expect Maloney to play at Tigers. And Benooooo returns, which is just lovely.

Saints are too well coached to be underestimated but we have got a bit lucky with their injuries. Like watching Mitchell so part of me annoyed, but a larger part delighted!

I'd imagine both sides will be rusty, so I'd take a 6-3 win.

2024/25 adoptee: Guy Pepper

Quote:

dr.bath1865
I'd imagine both sides will be rusty, so I'd take a 6-3 win.

I'm 100% with this, toss of a coin I'd say for the first game of the season - who comes out of the blocks better.

[24/25 adoptee: Francois van Wyk]

I think Saints will be more tense than Bath being last season’s champions, 4 tries to 3 in Baths favour
and no cards !

Adopted Player 2018/19 Ross Batty
Adopted Player 2019/20 Jack Davies
Adopted Player 2020/21 Cam Redpath
Adopted Player 2021/22 Darren Atkins
Adopted Player 2022/23 Gabriel Hamer-Webb
Adopted Player 2023/24 Tom Carr-Smith
Adopted Player 2024/25 Max Ojomoh

"AN OUNCE OF ACTION IS WORTH A TON OF THEORY"
FRIEDRICH ENGELS

Just read this thread.........very excited.

I normally am not keen on Friday night games but having been there at Twickenham this is just the second Act

Quote:

Bath Supporter Jack
Just read this thread.........very excited.
I normally am not keen on Friday night games but having been there at Twickenham this is just the second Act

I hate the hassle of Friday matches, Bath has to suffer too many of them.

Having said that I’ll be there and don’t care how well Bath play as long as we win.

Well, we nearly beat them with 14 players. A lot may hang on how many players we have on the pitch during the match...

Not sure my fellow Saints fans are expecting too much out of this one - our pack needs a lot of game time before becoming a settled unit with the loss of Waller, Moon, Lawes and Ludlam in one fell swoop. They will come good but maybe not quite yet.

Given a less than ideal events turn of events, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it to the Rec this evening, which is tremendously disappointing.

Would someone be kind enough to reassure me that I will be able to watch on TV with the same package I had with TNT/Discovery last season? I see the game is listed in the TNT Sports 1 schedule, and I can currently watch India v Bangladesh on that channel, but just thought I'd read something about the subscriptions or broadcasters or something changing between the seasons. Thanks kindly!

2024/25 adoptee: Guy Pepper

Quote:

FiveSticks
Well, we nearly beat them with 14 players. A lot may hang on how many players we have on the pitch during the match...

Ref is Luke Pearce, doesn't take any backchat from players and not afraid to bin players. Best behaviour from the team will be required.

What makes me most nervous about tonight is how the season went after our last final appearance.

Quote:

OutsideBath
What makes me most nervous about tonight is how the season went after our last final appearance.

To be fair, this time round there are some pretty significant differences, namely:

- We're not coming off a disastrous World Cup where one of the Bath players was made a key scapegoat, and subsequently left the sport 1 game into the new season, massively unsettling the changing room.

- We don't have a manager with an "interesting" interpretation of professionalism who also happens to be the father of our starting fly half, meaning that any change in the head coach would be super destabilising to the team.

- We do have a very settled squad, that has built consistently for the past 2 years, and prioritises the fundamentals of rugby above "chaos theory" attacking moves.

Quote:

dr.bath1865
Given a less than ideal events turn of events, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it to the Rec this evening, which is tremendously disappointing.
Would someone be kind enough to reassure me that I will be able to watch on TV with the same package I had with TNT/Discovery last season? I see the game is listed in the TNT Sports 1 schedule, and I can currently watch India v Bangladesh on that channel, but just thought I'd read something about the subscriptions or broadcasters or something changing between the seasons. Thanks kindly!

Sorry to hear you can't make it.

It's tnt1 as you say so you should be fine via your discovery/tnt package.

It's champions cup that is moving across from tnt to premier sports.

I will be watching on tnt- enjoy the game

Does anyone here know when the last time saints won at the rec was??

Quote:

Saint dolph
Does anyone here know when the last time saints won at the rec was??

It was in the 21/22 season, Saints won 36-31

Torrential rain in Bath atm, so potentially very soggy pitch unless they put covers on. Probably best to keep it in the forwards

Quote:

Susanne
Torrential rain in Bath atm, so potentially very soggy pitch unless they put covers on. Probably best to keep it in the forwards

I think that the rain is going to pass over but a soggy pitch and forwards game should suit us a bit more I think given that a lot of their pack are still getting to know each other? (famous last words).

[24/25 adoptee: Francois van Wyk]

Quote:

boozeboozebooze

Quote:

Saint dolph
Does anyone here know when the last time saints won at the rec was??

It was in the 21/22 season, Saints won 36-31

We were 31-12 up going into last quarter then capitulated after a long break for an injury IIRC

Hats was in charge. Cips was at 10. Max Clark at 12. Feels like a different age.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:09:20:16:11:25 by Rokobilly.

Quote:

boozeboozebooze

Quote:

Saint dolph
Does anyone here know when the last time saints won at the rec was??

It was in the 21/22 season, Saints won 36-31

Thanks. It feels so long since we have won there. That must of been in-between long droughts there .

Quote:

Saint dolph

Quote:

boozeboozebooze

Quote:

Saint dolph
Does anyone here know when the last time saints won at the rec was??

It was in the 21/22 season, Saints won 36-31

Thanks. It feels so long since we have won there. That must of been in-between long droughts there .

Saints put out a squad team 4 months ago and both teams have changed so much in the last couple of years I'm not sure records count for much. Quite a few changes from the 27-14 result in 2022, looks like Bath have 5 of the starters on that day starting today (Saints 3?):

LINE-UPS
BATH: Gallagher, Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, Butt, Worboys, Schreuder; Schoeman, Dunn (c), Coetzee, Attwood, Roux, Bayliss, Reid, de Carpentier.
Replacements: Annett, Cordwell, Rae, Lee-Warner, Hill, Carr-Smith, Searle, Ojomoh.

SAINTS: Furbank, Collins, Proctor, Dingwall, O Sleightholme, J Grayson, Mitchell; A Waller, S Matavesi, Hill, Salakaia-Loto, Ribbans, Coles, Ludlam, Augustus.
Replacements: R Smith, Iyogun, Petch, Moon, Graham, James, Litchfield, Hendy.

[24/25 adoptee: Francois van Wyk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:09:20:16:56:53 by BathMatt53.

Quote:

BathMatt53

Quote:

Saint dolph

Quote:

boozeboozebooze

Quote:

Saint dolph
Does anyone here know when the last time saints won at the rec was??

It was in the 21/22 season, Saints won 36-31

Thanks. It feels so long since we have won there. That must of been in-between long droughts there .

Saints put out a squad team 4 months ago and both teams have changed so much in the last couple of years I'm not sure records count for much. Quite a few changes from the 27-14 result in 2022, looks like Bath have 5 of the starters on that day starting today (Saints 3?):

LINE-UPS
BATH: Gallagher, Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, Butt, Worboys, Schreuder; Schoeman, Dunn (c), Coetzee, Attwood, Roux, Bayliss, Reid, de Carpentier.
Replacements: Annett, Cordwell, Rae, Lee-Warner, Hill, Carr-Smith, Searle, Ojomoh.

SAINTS: Furbank, Collins, Proctor, Dingwall, O Sleightholme, J Grayson, Mitchell; A Waller, S Matavesi, Hill, Salakaia-Loto, Ribbans, Coles, Ludlam, Augustus.
Replacements: R Smith, Iyogun, Petch, Moon, Graham, James, Litchfield, Hendy.

True. But saints worst records are either at bath or sale over the years. I'd say over last 10 years they are our bogey grounds .

I don't really buy this 'Northampton won't be at the level of last season ' chat I've seen in a lot of the media.

Phenomenally coached team with a brilliant foundation across the board.

I've never felt so good about a Bath side in my life, but not necessarily for getting a result tonight. I'm just excited for another great season



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:09:20:19:04:18 by A.M 180.

Good start

Pearce making his mark on the Dupont law but encouraging that only Saints have been pinged. Hopefully we've ditched the habit

Great try from Saints

Our defensive line has been so good, think Furbank is the rest to break it!

Big Joe is looking phenomenal

First scrum wasn’t great so let’s hope this one is better

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Brilliant try Bath, all started by a great sweeping line by TdG

Butt and Spencer do great work to send Ted under the sticks!

14-7

Butt obviously wants the shirt

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Very encouraging first 40 mins. Everyone looks in incredible shape I have to say. TdG looks back up to speed and Butt a man on a mission

Saints have looked good too!

Liking Danny Care’s contributions- sounds like he’s been at this commentary lark for ages

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Thank god they got the frame rate right there

We need to get out of our half!

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Pepper on for Reid, who's been great

Could really get bitten unless we can spend some time in their red zone

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Quote:

Toast and Marmite
Could really get bitten unless we can spend some time in their red zone

Yes, really fear this becoming a 1 point game

Shocking from Pearce calling advantage over then changing his mind

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Just need to play some boring safety first rugby l!!!

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Breathing room at last

Quote:

Toast and Marmite
Shocking from Pearce calling advantage over then changing his mind

I was surprised by it, but a ref realising they’ve made a mistake and correcting it seems like the sort of thing that should be encouraged.

V surprised at Saints giving daft pens - Vesty even said they had talked about it

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Quote:

Toast and Marmite
V surprised at Saints giving daft pens - Vesty even said they had talked about it

Their heads have gone

These are the moments the loss of their old heads will be felt



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:09:20:21:20:27 by A.M 180.

Quote:

9215

Quote:

Toast and Marmite
Shocking from Pearce calling advantage over then changing his mind

I was surprised by it, but a ref realising they’ve made a mistake and correcting it seems like the sort of thing that should be encouraged.

Ha ha you make a good point!

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

We are so good at earning the throw when we look like we're about to lose it

De Glanvilles just done it but reckon that's the third or 4th time tonight

Good stuff from Bath sapping the legs of Saints and running the clock down

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Love how we’re ripping into their forwards. Our subs have been superb. This is a much better performance than I expected.

2024/25 adoptee: Guy Pepper

A bit silly that's considered tackle complete

Their 19 has no idea where he was, his flailing arm just happened to slap Jaco

3rd time's a charm!

I normally prefer to wait 3 games in but this really is a statement performance

’’Paint the whole world with a rainbow”

Very loose end to the game given how precise it started

Great start - let no one ever take stock in pre-season results ever again

Great job from the coaches to get everyone sharp



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:09:20:21:33:44 by A.M 180.

Excellent job.

Really good performance from Bath. Scoreline reflected how dominant Bath were, even when struggling for any possession.

That forward pass call on the TdG try was nonsense.

A lot of positives to unpack from that but the edge that Griffin, Jdp, Coetzee, Pepper bought off the bench was razor sharp. We used to be a soft touch- we’re now nasty as hell and I love it.

One win only- but they are the champions- so I’m hugely impressed and encouraged.

2024/25 adoptee: Guy Pepper

Nice easy game at Welford road next week

It's only one game.
Against the reigning champions
Who beat us last time out
In the final
By 3 clear scores (4 if that final try had been allowed - didn't see anything clear and obvious on the replay)
In what looked like a full Rec

I'll take that

A man who cannot change his mind, cannot change anything

RAEBURN SHIELD

Quote:

Which Tyler
It's only one game.
Against the reigning champions
Who beat us last time out
In the final
By 3 clear scores (4 if that final try had been allowed - didn't see anything clear and obvious on the replay)
In what looked like a full Rec

I'll take that

It was a knock on by Lawrence

Loved that. Lots of fun. Great atmosphere. Strange lack of nerves. Enjoyed Pepper's cameo, potentially a star of the future there. Plus it had stopped raining. Not sure I enjoyed the new disposable plastic cups tho, that seemed a bit weird

Take that all day long... was getting a bit nervous about halfway through the second half but shouldn't have worried. Absolutely loving how well-stocked the team seems to be, so many good options in most positions. A word for Will Butt, superb break for the Hill try, ran hard and really solid throughout...how on earth we keep him, Ojomoh and Redpath (and Hennessey) happy I have absolutely no idea, but a nice problem to have I guess

Quote:

A2O
Nice easy game at Welford road next week

I'll be there for that game, feeling much better about our chances after tonight. We played v well after some poor pre season outings. Well done everyone...

Adopted players: 24/25 J Bayliss; [24] O Lawrence; [23] J Cokanasiga; [22] M Green; [21] A Watson; [20] T Faletau; [19] M V Vuuren; [18] T Faletau; [17] D Denton; [16] H. Agulla; [15] L Houston; [14] W Spencer; [13] F. Louw

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My mind's been going places without me lately - Bushfire The B52's

Well played indeed, nights like these are why we go to the Rec. Moments of brilliance on the pitch, a brave team effort with some standout performances, well done Will Butt, so pleased for him. Well done the steward who controlled the actions of the inebriated, bladder weak and latecomers who usually block my view. A deeply satisfying result after the disappointment of Twickenham raucously celebrated in the Swift Half stirred on by a much appreciated band belting out crowd pleasers. Home now, the effects of celebratory quaffing of Tribute means bed awaits, replaying of my recording postponed until tomorrow.

An excellent evening at The Rec. Especially pleasing for me: the overall hunger and attitude, especially in defence; Will Butt; the replacement props; Guy Pepper.

Slight negatives: ticket pricing presumably influencing a less than full house and the new pint glasses.

Northampton did not play poorly, especially in the first 20 of the second half. To limit them to one try was excellent.

Well done Bath.

Very little to complain about last night. Just a really solid win all round really.

Butt’s best game in a Bath shirt - thought he really carried and hit his size tonight and showed good awareness at the same time. Nice option to have to free Lawrence up from some of the work in heavy traffic he’d normally have to do himself.

Reid and Ewels were everywhere, Cokanasiga looked a threat and the half backs game management was top notch. Good energy from the bench too.

Scrum creaked a little bit while the starters were on but hung in there and the attacking patterns weren’t particularly sharp or expansive so to get a BP anyway is a real positive

Was about as you are going to get game 1 I think.

Very controlled, physical display that was hammered home by the bench yet again (for me it was an error to drop coetzee at business end of last season- he is a beast off the bench).

Leicester away next- I have been to Welford road about 15 times and seen us win once (in 2003). Always an extremely tough ask but hopefully jvg will actually pick a team with a chance this season which is exciting.

Some interesting selection conundrums now for JvG, both for next week and going forward generally.

Next week, I hope we go all out, pretty much same again, with perhaps a few guys (Coetzee and Maloney to start and maybe Bayliss to the bench?), to get a go.

Yes, o my one game, but Butt’s performance is a real curve ball. I’m all for Mojo, a second distributor 12, or Redpath, who is a very classy somewhere in between, but our power game, with 2 carrying centres, goes to another level. Defending big, quick guys, like Hill, Barbeary, Lawrence, Butt, JCok is frightening. Spencer and Finn are good enough (when on the front foot, mind) to almost not have to rely on the 12 being a ball player, so Butt is a genuine ‘cup final xv’ option now, which is tremendous. Guess, horses for courses, but it’ll be interesting to see how we progress over the season and who starts, say, our Euro games if all fit (which is a massive if).

Just a word on JCok. Goodness he looked hungry and fit. Chased ALL night. Hit hard ALL night. Accelerated into contact ALL night. He is unique- and given our power focus, such an asset, especially now he looks to be in the shape of his life. Well done Joe.

2024/25 adoptee: Guy Pepper

Quote:

Charlieboa1
Was about as you are going to get game 1 I think.
Very controlled, physical display that was hammered home by the bench yet again (for me it was an error to drop coetzee at business end of last season- he is a beast off the bench).

Leicester away next- I have been to Welford road about 15 times and seen us win once (in 2003). Always an extremely tough ask but hopefully jvg will actually pick a team with a chance this season which is exciting.

Away selections will be interesting with the 30 game involvements limit. Some press reports that it’s going to be tightly enforced and if so hopefully there’s a way to stagger the rest and keep continuity with a few combinations

Fair result, no quibbles. That being said, Saints lost their first two games last season to Sale and Bristol and things worked out in the end come June !

NGSB
Franklins Gardens

Great night

I would say for the benefit of our Saints readers that the difference between the packs was a lot less than I anticipated. Their backs at times looked very slick and dangerous.

Bath defence was exceptional

Quote:

theredseat

Quote:

Charlieboa1
Was about as you are going to get game 1 I think.
Very controlled, physical display that was hammered home by the bench yet again (for me it was an error to drop coetzee at business end of last season- he is a beast off the bench).

Leicester away next- I have been to Welford road about 15 times and seen us win once (in 2003). Always an extremely tough ask but hopefully jvg will actually pick a team with a chance this season which is exciting.

Away selections will be interesting with the 30 game involvements limit. Some press reports that it’s going to be tightly enforced and if so hopefully there’s a way to stagger the rest and keep continuity with a few combinations

Agree but game 2 we surely go ' all in' ? Still rankles leic being there for the taking and us naming a second team ( understand all the reasons but was just disappointed).

The 30 game thing seems completely absurd to me.

Comes from a good place but how can a club guess if someone is going to get picked for eng/ lions and how many times they will be needed by england/ lions!? I have no idea how it's workable. You may keep someone to 25 games for bath/ england thinking the lions may need them and they don't get picked or get injured. Its all complete guesswork

Very pleasing game! Sweet revenge. I'd like to highlight the replacement front row, van Wyk and Griffin has their set piece going backwards.

One area of concern is the back three ability to complete in kick battles. Muir and Coka chase hard and get up in the air but both have average or worse kicking games. There were times were they were pressured and instead of kicking, because of a weakness, they ran it back. On the whole during the game that netted in a positive but there will be times when we get caught and land ourselves in trouble. As it stands, Russell and TdG are holding a lot of responsibility in those duels and I think our game fould be taken to another level if our wings could confidently kick return

Quote:

Charlieboa1

Quote:

theredseat

Quote:

Charlieboa1
Was about as you are going to get game 1 I think.
Very controlled, physical display that was hammered home by the bench yet again (for me it was an error to drop coetzee at business end of last season- he is a beast off the bench).

Leicester away next- I have been to Welford road about 15 times and seen us win once (in 2003). Always an extremely tough ask but hopefully jvg will actually pick a team with a chance this season which is exciting.

Away selections will be interesting with the 30 game involvements limit. Some press reports that it’s going to be tightly enforced and if so hopefully there’s a way to stagger the rest and keep continuity with a few combinations

Agree but game 2 we surely go ' all in' ? Still rankles leic being there for the taking and us naming a second team ( understand all the reasons but was just disappointed).

The 30 game thing seems completely absurd to me.

Comes from a good place but how can a club guess if someone is going to get picked for eng/ lions and how many times they will be needed by england/ lions!? I have no idea how it's workable. You may keep someone to 25 games for bath/ england thinking the lions may need them and they don't get picked or get injured. Its all complete guesswork

Yeah all up in air how it can be managed at least from a fan POV.

For players like Lawrence and Finn adding Autumn internationals and 6N games to the 18 Prem games takes them about to the limit before you account for Europe, Play offs and Lions. Plus what about the pre season games that have already happened? With a strict interpretation that would most likely mean they barely play away games so who knows.

Every time I watch him I wonder how Ted Hill is not regarded higher by England. He really is an exceptional player and we are incredibly fortunate to have him on our books.

Astonishing score really. Well done indeed to whole of Bath playing team - not just those on the pitch.

My Saints supporting family are to say the least, gutted. I am trying to make soothing noises, such as big changes this season for Saints e.g. Lawes etc. have left, Saints lost their first two games last season etc. etc. But not alot of sympathy as longtime Bath supporters, like 'us', know what its like to be in the doldrums temporariy. Let's see what happens at Welford Road, and I hope for howls of despair and disbelief from their somewhat one eyed support.

Very very fed up with negotiating the quagmire of television coverage changes this season - no idea what the PRLand RFU overpaid execs were doing - obviously not negotiating successfully or .......................... maybe they don't care.

Great result especially given that we weren’t at our best.

One thing confused us when the Saints player was yellow carded. Bath were clearly going to rumble over before he dragged the maul down so why no penalty try as well?

Quote:

OutsideBath
Great result especially given that we weren’t at our best.
One thing confused us when the Saints player was yellow carded. Bath were clearly going to rumble over before he dragged the maul down so why no penalty try as well?

Pearce reckoned there was another defender in behind. Given the that a. I think Coetzee scored anyway and b. There was nothing wrong with the TdG try, just shows how good we were in the last 20.

Possibly left 4 tries out there last night to add to the 5 scored:
1. Muir's pass just behind Spencer in the first half
2. Coetzee's disallowed try
3. TdG's disallowed try
4. The final move of the game

Obviosuly if any bar the last had been scored the game would have evolved differently.

Really good result, especially how the game was going from 40-60 mins, the fact we kept Saints to just 3 points after completely dominating territory and possession during the start of the 2nd half would have been a huge psychological win for our boys, and then when the reinforcements started rolling on we swung the game back into our control.

As commented by others, it was surprising how our fortunes changed at scrum time when the replacement props came on, to my untrained eye it looked like Griffin had the Saints loosehead in all sorts of bother.

I'm increasingly wondering whether Griffin is now above Stuart in the tighthead pecking order, which would be pretty crazy considering last night was only his 10th league appearance for us. I've been a big fan of Stuart but I can't remember the last time he really dominated his opposite number in the scrum. Once TdT is back from international duty JvG is going to have some very tough decisions to make in the front row, he could conceivably go with any of the following combinations:

- Obano + TdT (TH) (with FvW + Griffin/Stuart on the bench)
- Obano + Griffin/Stuart (with TdT (LH) + Stuart/Griffin on the bench)
- TdT (LH) + Griffin/Stuart (with Obano + Stuart/Griffin on the bench)

The question will be whether the drop off from TdT to Griffin/Stuart on the TH is greater/smaller than the drop off from TdT to FvW on the LH.

Twas a "better than expected" crowd too - 12.9k? I didn't see many Saints fans

Exeter got less than 10k, Gloucester 11k and Sale apparently got about 8k

Quote:

hard work
Twas a "better than expected" crowd too - 12.9k? I didn't see many Saints fans
Exeter got less than 10k, Gloucester 11k and Sale apparently got about 8k

Anyone know if this number the STs + purchases or whether its the total of the tickets scanned at the gates? Crowd looked decent on the TV, a few empty at the edges but assume community tickets etc boosted the numbers on the day.

[24/25 adoptee: Francois van Wyk]

It will be all season tickets plus tickets sold.

I can always tell how big the crowd is as I can see the south end of the West Stand. Depending where the crowd ends you can make an assumption of the overall crowd. I think it was a fair crowd for a Friday night in September.

According to what I can find, attendance was 14k which is fantastic for September given the ticket prices. Expect ticket prices to be incredibly high for ad hoc by late spring...

Announcement in the ground was I think 12.5K+, 14k would be almost full and it didn't feel like that. But maybe they're working on an Electoral College basis

Empty seats visible on the telly.

The Rugby paper had the crowd down as 14,101.

Well they are making stuff up!!

Are there two metrics here ?

12500 (or whatever was announced on the night) is tickets scanned on the gate and ergo people physically there.

1400 is tickets sold - the above plus absent ST holders, possibly some hospitality seats etc.

Just a thought.

Thing is all the empty seats are at the ends and therefore not season ticket types of seats.

Unless of course people spotted better empty seats and moved there

The ones at the end are usually the ones we almost give away (relatively speaking) to local rugby clubs etc. I wonder if it takes time to get that engagement going with the clubs each season?

Quote:

Dan Wiley
The ones at the end are usually the ones we almost give away (relatively speaking) to local rugby clubs etc. I wonder if it takes time to get that engagement going with the clubs each season?

Also aren’t they normally allocated for the visiting team’s support, I didn’t see many of them !

Adopted Player 2018/19 Ross Batty
Adopted Player 2019/20 Jack Davies
Adopted Player 2020/21 Cam Redpath
Adopted Player 2021/22 Darren Atkins
Adopted Player 2022/23 Gabriel Hamer-Webb
Adopted Player 2023/24 Tom Carr-Smith
Adopted Player 2024/25 Max Ojomoh

"AN OUNCE OF ACTION IS WORTH A TON OF THEORY"
FRIEDRICH ENGELS

Quote:

Dan Wiley
The ones at the end are usually the ones we almost give away (relatively speaking) to local rugby clubs etc. I wonder if it takes time to get that engagement going with the clubs each season?

Yes, if you look at the ticket availability for the Bristol game the sports centre end of the west stand has no tickets for sale and the east stand sports centre end only has the top 4 rows for sale. That must mean you are correct. I guess like a lot of supporters a Friday night game is not so popular hence the empty seats.
They did indeed announce the attendance was 12,900 so I reckon the 14,100 includes those unoccupied reserve tickets plus the season ticket holders who didn't attend.

Are PRTV no longer posting the full match on their website? There's only the short highlights of the match I can find

Quote:

gaz59
Are PRTV no longer posting the full match on their website? There's only the short highlights of the match I can find

Just the highlights Gaz Unfortunately. Think I’m going to have to pay for TNT

Widcombe Garçon

Quote:

Dan Wiley
I wonder if it takes time to get that engagement going with the clubs each season?

Not really - they sent out an e-mail to our club a couple of weeks before and a few kids (including my own) took them up on it and was one of the few sat in block A for £10. I guess it does depend on whether those at the clubs passed them on to their parents / kids.

[24/25 adoptee: Francois van Wyk]

Quote:

Widcombe boy

Quote:

gaz59
Are PRTV no longer posting the full match on their website? There's only the short highlights of the match I can find

Just the highlights Gaz Unfortunately. Think I’m going to have to pay for TNT

Drat. I've got TNT but was away and forgot to record

If you’ve got TNT you should be able to watch either the highlights or the full match on the ‘Latest Replays’ section.